Augmented venous return allows the perfusionist to use a venous line having a smaller inner diameter thereby reducing prime volume and allows the surgeon to use a smaller venous cannula resulting in easier insertion, better surgical view and a smaller surgical incision. Since venous bags have been shown to be clinically safer than hard shall reservoirs, we propose to bring to the clinical market a new soft-shell venous reservoir that would provide vacuum-assisted venous drainage. The proposed system would significantly improve both the safety and operability of present cardiopulmonary bypass procedures at reduced cost. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Over 600,000 cardiopulmonary bypass procedures are conducted annually. Each requires a venous reservoir. The proposed soft shell reservoir is expected to compete in cost with the hard-shell reservoirs and provide the safety inherent in venous bags. It will also offer vacuum assisted drainage and faster setup time, and lower inventory.